Braves' David Fletcher: Dabbling with knuckleball at Triple-A
Rotowire
Fletcher made his first career start as a pitcher for Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday, striking out six over five innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits and and one walk in a 5-2 win over Norfolk.
Primarily an infielder since entering the professional ranks in 2015, Fletcher saw action in five games with Atlanta earlier this season and has been making regular starts at second base for Gwinnett since being outrighted off the 40-man roster in late April. However, the 29-year-old recently informed club officials that he had been tinkering with a knuckleball, and he impressed enough in workouts for the Gwinnett coaching staff to give him the chance to pitch in games earlier this month. Fletcher was tagged for six earned runs over six innings across his first four relief appearances for Gwinnett, but upon stepping into a starting role Wednesday, he delivered his lengthiest and best outing yet. Fletcher will likely need to turn in at least a few more quality performances on the mound for Gwinnett before Atlanta contemplates bringing him back on the big-league roster as a pitcher and utility infielder. There's also the matter of an ongoing investigation from Major League Baseball into Fletcher's involvement with the same Southern California bookmaker used by Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. According to Tisha Thompson of ESPN.com, sources familiar with the booking operation relay that Fletcher didn't place any bets on baseball, but clarity on whether Fletcher will receive any punishment related to his gambling activities won't become clear until the investigation concludes.
Major League Baseball intends to open an investigation into a reported gambling situation involving Fletcher and bookmaker Mathew Bowyer, Justin Toscano of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
Per Tisha Thompson of ESPN, Fletcher placed bets on multiple sports but did not bet on baseball. MLB allows players to bet on other sports, but doing so through illegal bookmakers such as Bowyer -- the same bookmaker used by Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara -- is prohibited and punishable at the discretion of the commissioner.
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Braves' David Fletcher: Outrighted to Triple-A
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Fletcher was sent outright to Triple-A Gwinnett on Thursday.
Fletcher appeared in five games for Atlanta after being selected from Triple-A on April 16, going 2-for-8 with two RBI. He will remain in the organization for now but has the ability to elect free agency. No corresponding move was announced alongside Fletcher's demotion, which may point toward a potential return from the IL for Ozzie Albies (toe) before Friday's game against Cleveland.
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Braves' David Fletcher: Joining big-league club
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Atlanta selected Fletcher's contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old was unable to secure a place on Atlanta's Opening Day roster but will join the big club with Ozzie Albies headed to the injured list with a toe fracture. Fletcher could fill the small side of a platoon at second base with Luis Guillorme while Albies is sidelined.
Atlanta reassigned Fletcher to minor-league camp Monday.
He was sent to minor-league camp Monday along with Luke Williams, Andrew Velazquez and Eli White, with their demotions suggesting that Forrest Wall has won the final available bench spot on Atlanta's Opening Day roster. Fletcher hit .324/.366/.351 over 16 games during Grapefruit League play.
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Braves' David Fletcher: Still fighting for bench spot
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Fletcher got the start at shortstop in Thursday's Grapefruit League game against the Rays and went 0-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base.
The 29-year-old infielder was picked up from the Angels in December but then got outrighted off the 40-man roster, which meant he came into camp with an extra hurdle to clear to make the final cut for Opening Day. Fletcher's done his best to earn a spot though, batting .310 (9-for-29) through 13 games with a 3:2 BB:K and three steals in three attempts. He could form a flexible, experienced bench duo with Luis Guillorme this season, but Atlanta manager Brian Snitker tends to lean heavily on his starters, which wouldn't leave much work around the infield for either utility player.
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Braves' David Fletcher: Outrighted off roster
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Fletcher was outrighted to Triple-A Gwinnett by Atlanta on Wednesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Given the $15.5 million left on his contract, Fletcher was easily going to pass through waivers. It's still possible that he claims a utility infielder job with Atlanta, but now the club will have a bit more 40-man roster flexibility. Fletcher has slashed just .259/.296/.327 in 251 major-league games since the beginning of the 2021 season.
Atlanta acquired Fletcher and Max Stassi (hip/personal) from the Angels on Friday in exchange for Evan White (hip) and Tyler Thomas, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.
Fletcher enjoyed a mini breakout during the COVID-shortened 2020 season and landed a five-year, $26 million contract extension from the Angels the following spring, but he has slashed just .259/.296/.327 in 251 major-league games since the beginning of the 2021 campaign. The 29-year-old infielder still has a guaranteed $15.5 million left on his deal, which runs through 2025 with an $8 million club option for 2026 and an $8.5 million club option for 2027.
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Angels' David Fletcher: Heads back to bench role
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Fletcher is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.
Fletcher went 3-for-13 with a walk and an RBI while making starts out of the middle infield in each of the Angels' last four games, but he looks as though he'll move back into more of a utility role for the final week of the regular season. Zach Neto and Michael Stefanic will form the Halos' middle-infield tandem Monday, and the Angels will likely give both youngsters regular reps at shortstop and second base, respectively, the rest of the way.
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Angels' David Fletcher: Knocks homer in return
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Fletcher went 2-for-4 with a solo home run Friday in a loss to Detroit.
Fletcher got the start at second base in his first game since being recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday. The veteran infielder plated one of Los Angeles' two runs with a solo shot to left field in the seventh inning. Fletcher isn't likely to see everyday playing time as the Angels evaluate their younger talent down the stretch of what has become a lost season. He's slashing .235/.264/.373 with two homers, nine RBI and four runs over 53 big-league plate appearances on the campaign.
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Angels' David Fletcher: Back in majors
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The Angels selected Fletcher's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.
With Luis Rengifo (biceps) headed for the 60-day injured list, Fletcher will return to the active roster after being outrighted to Triple-A in July. The 29-year-old has slashed .213/.245/.298 across 49 plate appearances in the majors this year, and he'll likely serve as infield depth to close out the season.
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Angels' David Fletcher: Cast off 40-man
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Fletcher was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.
The Angels made a slew of roster moves, and they are bringing Michael Stefanic and Trey Cabbage up from Triple-A to take the place of Fletcher and Anthony Rendon (shin contusion). Fletcher scored a five-year $24.5 million extension in April of 2021, but he has logged a poor .258/.292/.325 slash line with five home runs in 237 games over the past three seasons.
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Angels' David Fletcher: Settles in as primary shortstop
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Fletcher will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Following Zach Neto's (oblique) placement on the injured list June 15, Andrew Velazquez received the first look as the Angels' new everyday shortstop, but that role appears to have since fallen to Fletcher. After producing a .742 OPS with six RBI and a run scored since his June 24 call-up from Triple-A Salt Lake, Fletcher will pick up his eighth start at shortstop Sunday in a nine-game stretch.
Fletcher went 4-for-6 with a home run and five RBI in Saturday's 25-1 win over the Rockies.
Fletcher hit just .125 over his first eight games this season before he was sent to Triple-A Salt Lake. He tripled his season hit total with Saturday's massive game, though it comes with a big Coors Field caveat. He's also up to six RBI through 22 plate appearances. The Angels have added Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas in trades over the last two days, so Fletcher is unlikely to be more than a light-hitting and versatile infield depth option during this stint in the majors. His best path to playing time is at shortstop while Zach Neto (oblique) is on the injured list.
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Angels' David Fletcher: Recalled from Triple-A
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The Angels selected Fletcher's contract from Triple-A Salt Lake on Saturday, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.
Fletcher has been white-hot in Triple-A as of late, slashing an absurd .530/.551/.697 over the course of his 15-game hitting streak. Fletcher failed to produce during his brief MLB stint at the beginning of April, but his momentum from Triple-A could carry over into the bigs as he offers additional depth to the Angels' infield.
